38 Comments

I’m a first time applicant who’s almost two years out from undergrad. I didn’t study Creative Writing or English for my BA. I applied to 11 schools (even now, I feel like I should have applied to more) and I went kinda big. Mainly, I need full funding or I can’t attend. The list is:

Indiana and Cornell and my top choices (faculty, current students, interactions with other departments, funding, etc…) Haven’t heard anything back at all, except a vague email from Indiana about potential additional funding (did anyone else get that?). I don’t have facebook so I’m not in on the MFA draft group, which might be for the best. The wait is killing me!!!

I applied to seven very selective, fully-funded programs. I probably should have mixed up my list a little more, but had to go with funded programs. I’ve received two rejections: University of Minnesota and Washington University-St. Louis, but moved onto “Phase II” at Ole Miss. I would love the opportunity to study in an MFA program- it’s something I’ve been strongly considering for about three years, and I feel ready. However, I have significant undergrad debt and I am married, so I don’t feel as “mobile” as some other applicants. If it doesn’t work out for me for this time, I’ll be disappointed, but I think I’ll be able to keep things in perspective.

I think I would be able to have a more enjoyable experience in an MFA program if more of my student loans were paid off. It would be more of a relief knowing that the debt wasn’t just looming there, waiting for me after the MFA. I feel a little guilty even spending money on MFA applications with the amount of debt I have, though at the same time, I don’t want to let it control my whole life. Anyone else currently experiencing this?

Sad but true: I would make more money on a graduate stipend than I currently, or have ever made in the “real world.” So there’s that… Time to become a phlebotomist?

For what it’s worth, we at Michigan haven’t yet sent out any information – accepts, waitlists, or rejects. It’s maybe possible something’s leaked, but we haven’t informed anybody officially of anything quite yet. Notifications should begin going out in the next few days.

Yeah, um, I’m embarrassed. I’m not out of any English undergraduate department. In fact, I’m in my forties and had earned two degrees in music performance in my twenties. Yet, I applied for an MFA in fiction, and I’m only beginning to understand how difficult this process is. My goals at this point are to finish my book, finish my other stories, start other ideas, and share at least my most important story with others. I applied, because I didn’t think I was doing that most important story justice, yet, with my writing. I want it to be as great as it can be. I was accepted to Chatham without a Teaching Assistantship. This is heartbreaking for me as a single person with two part-time jobs, no benefits, and no savings. Maybe people already think I had my chance right out of college, but my story wasn’t ready to be written, and I wasn’t ready to write it or learn the craft. Student Loans would be the way I would have to go. At my age, that could be a very stupid route. Anyhow, Cornell U. rejected me, and I’m waiting on two other schools. I’ve heard that “No news is not good news.” This leads me to believe that I am going to receive rejections. If that happens, it happens. I still have to finish my book. My knowledge of Cornell U. was only about their music department, and one day, I hopped over to their MFA description and applied. Not only did it read as stellar to get my heart pumping, but my sister and best friend live in New York State. I do not, (and I did not go to Cornell for music.) My inexperience in the MFA world has me laughing at myself and also shaking in my shoes. I may need to wear Depends for the month of March. They do come in handy once in a while.

Congratulations! I’m hoping to go to Bennington, as well, but for poetry. I’m hoping I hear back soon. I’ve only heard about one acceptance for poetry so far, so I’m trying to stay hopeful. Fingers crossed!

About University of Arizona: I see results in all genres for rejections and waitlists, but not acceptances.
Applied for poetry.
No word: it’s March 25th.
Belly-crawling through the desert gasping “water”
Program full of fellow tree huggers: might my environmental science background help? Are they saving trees by not lining my mailbox with missives? I check my email. I log in to GradApp every day. I wish to conserve energy, alas. I will conserve water. Only margaritas until news received. Only you, margarita. I am salt on the rim of your discerning glass. That metaphor is nonsense. See: I need workshops.These short clauses: I sound beat. Don’t judge me. Still waiting.

So here’s my story among the slings and arrows of MFA world. Applied for fiction. Rejected: Arizona State University of Arizona Portland State
Oregon State Accepted: Colorado State. Applied to Boise State also but have accepted CSU’s offer. Cue the John Denver!

I’m wondering something similar: what if you have an acceptance, say yes on the 15th and then another program contacts you after the 15th and makes an offer? How inappropriate is it to tell the program you accepted that you’re no longer going? My guess is that they’d just reach out to their waitlist again? If anyone has advice or experience on this front, I’d appreciate it.

Has anyone heard anything from the University of Massachusetts, Boston for fiction? I find that the department is pretty terrible at communicating – either my emails took up to 2 weeks to reply or they didn’t reply at all.

Nope. I’ve sent them 4 emails, checked my application status on their website and nothing. It’s mid June already and there’s no way they take this long to make a decision so I’m just going to assume I didn’t get in.